ARC Review - The Wrong Wife by L. Steele

 Thank you so much L. Steele for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Wrong Wife

Author: L. Steele

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Standalone

Pages: 388

Synopsis:

He’s my best friend’s brother.
My new boss.
And now my fake husband.

Knight Warren. The country’s most sought-after heartthrob, and retired military vet, is my complete opposite.
He's grumpy where I’m sunshine.
Surly where I’m... happy go lucky.
He’s the hardened ex-soldier.
I’m still trying to find my calling.
The only thing we have in common is that we both love his sister...
...who’s also my best friend.
So when she asks me to help Knight find a wife I can’t say no.
Turns out he'll inherit his father’s empire as long as...
... he gets married within the next month.

I agree to work as his assistant and interview the women who apply for the position.
But Knight hates every one of them.
With the deadline drawing close, he proposes I marry him.
In return, he’ll pay off my debts and take care of my mother’s medical treatment.

Only he has conditions-
I need to pretend I belong to him, be in a fake marriage with him,
... for an entire year!
But what happens when the chemistry between us ignites?
Forced to live under his roof I know I’m falling for him.
As the days pass I begin to think he reciprocates my feelings.
Until he introduces me to his real wife...

Review & thoughts:

The Wrong Wife is my second book from L. Steele and I loved it as much as The Rebound, they are both so good! I can’t wait to read more from this author because her books have everything I love: a beautiful, emotional romance, complex characters and interesting plot that captures my attention leaving me unable to stop reading.

After a tragic event, Knight returns home a changed man, thinking only about taking over his family’s company and distancing himself from his friends and family. The only person he can’t seem to get rid of is Penny, his sister’s best friend who keeps showing up in his life in the most unexpected situations. When circumstances force them to work together, Knight and Penny quickly realize their attraction to each other grows every day, but with their complicated pasts, they will both have to fight for their happy ending. 

I can’t describe how much I loved Knight and Penny’s relationship and romance, they are quintessential grumpy and sunshine and it was incredible to see them fall in love, despite their efforts not to. They had an amazing banter with Knight often being an asshole and Penny calling him out on it but I loved seeing them finally give in to their feelings, these two had such a sizzling tension since their first meeting and the spicy scenes were truly explosive, I just love them so much. I also liked how Knight’s trauma was described, after what he went through it wasn’t easy for him to return to everyday life and I loved how Penny was always there for him and wanted to support him. It was also amazing to see some characters from the previous book by this author, this one is a completely standalone novel, but I always love to see cameos from other couples.

The Wrong Wife is an amazing story, I fell in love with the characters and really hope to see them again in the next book from L. Steele which, from the short excerpt at the end, I think is going to be really great too! Rick and Gio’s story can’t come soon enough.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Rebel King by Gina L. Maxwell

 Thank you so much Entangled Publishing for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Rebel King

Author: Gina L. Maxwell

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Deviant Kings (book #2)

Pages: 327

Synopsis:

All work and no wicked play makes Tiernan a very unsatisfied king…

Of all the Verran brothers, Tiernan is the least suited to wear the Night Court crown. The Rebel Prince is happy with no responsibilities or accountability—just the freedom to pursue his own dark, lush pleasures in Sin City. Including his secret hunger for a certain smart-mouthed, fiery redhead.

Only, the possibility of having Fiona is stripped away when Tiernan is thrust into the one role he never wanted: king. As king of the Dark Fae, wanting—let alone pursuing—anything with a lower-caste fae like Fiona would shift from fun…to forbidden. 

Now war is emerging from the shadows of Vegas, and Tiernan is caught between who he’s meant to be and who he wants. And somewhere in this maelstrom of lust, love, and rebellion is the key to the Dark Fae’s survival…even if the cost is more than he can imagine.

Review & thoughts:

The Rebel King is the second book in the adult paranormal romance Deviant Kings series and I think I enjoyed this one even better than The Dark King, it was so good!

After his brother abdicated the throne, Tiernan, the fun-loving playboy prince, is supposed to become the new king of the Night Court in just a few months. But becoming king means there is no way for him to pursue Fiona, a lower-caste Fae who he can’t get out of his head, but who is forbidden for him to have a relationship with. With Fae being killed in his city, Tiernan will have to figure out if he is ready to became the king his people need and how to do that without sacrificing his heart in the process. 

I loved Tiernan and Fiona’s as main characters, these two were completely different but fit so well together, I loved seeing their forbidden relationship grow and them starting to trust and love each other. Fiona was a very strong female lead, she went through a lot and her world turned upside down in this book, but she dealt with everything very well, she maybe wasn’t badass but still very strong and I loved how she developed as a character. Tiernan grew a lot here too, it was amazing to see him change from the playboy prince into a king caring for his people and I can’t wait to see more of him and Fiona in the next book in this series. Aside from amazing characters and beautiful romance, this book had a really interesting plot that had me finish this book in one sitting but the amount of plot was perfectly balanced with romance and spicy scenes, it was everything I love in books. 

The Rebel King is a really great sequel to Dark King, I loved it and already can’t wait for the third book in this trilogy! If you like fantasy books with amazing characters, spicy romance and interesting plot, you should definitely give this series a try.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Mistress and the Renowned by Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune

 Thank you so much Rose and Star Publishing for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Mistress and the Renowned

Author: Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Hades & Persephone (book #2)

Pages: 405

Synopsis:

God of the Dead. King of the Underworld. The Unseen. The Renowned…
Trapped.
One moment, Hades was next to Persephone, having finally claimed her as his queen. The next, he knows only true void, and roots burrowing into his body, feeding from his power and essence. Every ounce of his abilities is used to keep the roots from taking everything, leaving him a broken shell. The King of the Dead. No better than the living dead, wishing for things that would never come. 

Goddess of Spring. The Maiden. The Mistress. The Venerable One…
The New Queen. 
Being transported to another world and told you’re now the Queen of the Dead was not what Persephone was expecting. Screw expecting, she did not want to be queen. Nope. Now if she could just find the god who’d done this to her without her consent. But he’s not due to the underworld for another month. So she has to wait. And wait. And wait. 

Destiny. Fate. Fortune. Kismet…
Waits for no one. 
Nightmares cloud them both, calling to them to finish the destiny that awaits them. One that has only just begun. One that will not be denied.

Review & thoughts:

The Mistress and the Renowned is the second book in Love and Fate series. It is a Hades & Persephone retelling that I really loved and already can’t wait for book 3!

After everything that happened in the first book I was really excited to read this sequel and it definitely didn’t disappoint, it was even better than book 1. We learn so many new things about our main characters and as most of the action happens in the Underworld, we learn a lot about it too and I loved exploring it along Persephone and the way the authors described it was really interesting. There was a lot happening from the very first page and I loved all the new characters we meet here, especially Cerberus! He was amazing and it was so great to see his instant bond with Persephone and of course Hades, he was like their baby and I loved all the moments they spend together (I was laughing out loud many times at them, they were just so cute). Hades and Persephone are incredible together and I loved their romance, I think there were a few less spicy scenes here and the plot and their relationship benefited from that, they learned more about each other and worked on comunicating better (which didnt exactly always work and I wanted to scream at them a few times, but I still love them). 

The Mistress and the Renowned is a really great continuation to Hades and Persephone’s story, I loved the plot and the characters and OMG that ending! I still can’t believe it ended like that and I need book 3 ASAP!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C. Penaranda

 Thank you so much Chloe C. Penaranda for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Stars Are Dying

Author: Chloe C. Penaranda

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Nytefall (book #1)

Pages: 566

Synopsis:

"The brightest star needs the darkest night."

In a world abandoned by the celestial guardians and left to suffer a tyrant king’s reign, all Astraea knows is safety in seclusion. With fragmented memories of only five years of her life, she’s determined to discover more about her past, even if that means fleeing the cruel arms that hold her safe from the wicked vampires rumored to roam the land.

But when Astraea stumbles upon the mysterious Nyte, she soon realizes determination alone isn’t enough to guard her heart. He lingers like the darkness that expands between the stars, and soon she discovers her captor’s wicked means of control weren’t based on a lie to keep her under locks after all. In her desperation, Astraea accepts Nyte’s help before she can decide if she might have sold her allegiance to one of the bloodthirsty beings the people of her world fear.

Once their bargain is struck, Astraea’s chance to escape comes in the form of accompanying her best friend Cassia to the King’s Central. There on royal territory it’s the centenary of the Libertatem, a succession of trials hosted by the king in which five human lands compete for a cycle of safety from the vampires seeking blood, claiming souls, and savaging after dark. So when tragedy strikes, Astraea must decide if taking the place of a murdered participant for the safety of her kingdom is a ruse is worth dying for, or if protection—and the answers to her past—really are her strongest desires.

Review & thoughts:

The Stars Are Dying is the first book in Chloe’s new NA Fantasy Romance series and while it can easily be read as a standalone, if you’ve read the author’s other series, you might notice some fun Easter eggs. 

Where do I even begin… This book is so unique and often reminded me of a fairytale, I was fully invested in it since the first page and read the whole book in one sitting at night because I couldn’t put it down. I loved our main characters, Astraea and Nyte. Astraea had some difficult past and can only remember the last 5 years of her life, she was perhaps a bit naive at times, but I loved how she grew through the story and how despite her mental struggles, she was fighting for what she wanted. Nyte is the book boyfriend I knew I would love since the first time I met him: mysterious, morally grey with all the 'touch her and die’ and 'who did this to you’ vibes, I absolutely loved him. Astraea’s and Nyte’s relationship and eventual romance is a slow burn, but there was so much tension and amazing banter between them I loved all of it, their story is so beautiful and heartbreaking, I can’t wait to read even more of it in the next book, they are easily one of my favorite bookish couples and I already miss them.

I spent quite some time having no idea what was going on but I loved slowly discovering everything alongside Astraea. I must say I had some predictions as to what happened in the past and could still happen, but every time I thought I figured it out, the author proved how amazing writer she is, the foreshadowing was perfect and when some things became clear in the end, OMG I was speechless. The plot was perfectly paced and I had so much fun reading this book, it was really interesting, the characters and romance were just incredible and there were so many of my favorite tropes (morally grey characters, villain gets the girl, hidden identity, lost memories and many more).

The Stars Are Dying is an absolutely incredible book that I really loved and already can’t wait for the book 2 because OMG that ending! I was shocked, I was crying and smiling through my tears while reading, this book was a real rollercoaster of emotions and the sequel can’t come soon enough.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Review - Lucifer's Fall by Verusha Robbins

 Thank you so much Verusha Robbins for sending me this ARC!

Title: Lucifer's Fall

Author: Verusha Robbins

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: The Fallen Chronicles (book #1)

Pages: 367

Synopsis:

Darkness has never been so tempting...

The warrior angels of Heaven are stuck in the captivity of Lucifer; the deadliest Fallen angel in existence. In order to free the warriors, Sandriel, a Light angel, is sent from the heavens to negotiate a deal with the Dark One.

The encounter with Lucifer triggers a flood of memories of her past human life as Nadia, a young village girl whom Lucifer had saved from a demonic assault prior to his fall from Heaven.

As Sandriel struggles to understand her connection to Lucifer, she is captured and taken to his realm in Hell. Forced to rely on her intelligence and strength of will, she discovers rare abilities that could save her from Hell's denizens and the rest of the Fallen angels who are determined to destroy her.

Soon, she realises Lucifer has more up his sleeve than she bargained for.

After all, they do say that nothing good comes out of a deal with the Devil.

And Sandriel is just coming to know how right they really were.

Review & thoughts:

Lucifer’s Fall is the first book in a Fantasy Romance series with angels, demons and enemies to lovers romance that I really enjoyed!

When angels are captured by the fallen, Sandriel is sent to Hell to negotiate their return. But what she doesn’t expect is for her first meeting with the devil to bring back memories of her previous life as a Nadia, a human girl who was in love with Lucifer before he fell. Forced to make a bargain to spend time with him in exchange for the angels’s freedom, Sandriel will have to deal with her confusing memories of a gentle man who is much different from the Lucifer she knows all the while trying to survive Hell’s nightmares. 

I’ve read a lot of books about angels and Lucifer, but this one is definitely one of the best. I loved reading about Lucifer and Sandriel’s relationship, both in the present and in memories from her previous life and it was so interesting to see how much they both changed, I can’t wait to find out what exactly happened in the next book. While there is not a lot of romantic scenes between them, there is so much tension I was always waiting for them to finally give in to their obvious attraction, I just loved all their moments together and can’t wait for the rest of their story. Amazing love story aside, I also really liked the unique world the author created, there are not only angels, the fallen and demons, but also gods and goddesses from different mythologies and I loved seeing them interact with each other and am curious how it will all come together. 

Lucifer’s Fall is a really great fantasy romance with a lot of my favorite tropes that I really enjoyed and recommend to everyone who enjoys this genre, this book is amazing!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Road of Bones by Demi Winters

 Thank you so much Demi Winters and NerdFam for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Road of Bones

Author: Demi Winters

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: The Ashen (book #1)

Pages: 640

Synopsis:

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which could destroy them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life. The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her. 

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively. Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Review & thoughts:

The Road of Bones is the first book in an adult fantasy romance series and I can’t believe it’s a debut novel, it’s an amazing read that I couldn’t put down!

After her father is killed, Silla’s whole world turns upside down. To fulfill her father’s last request, she must travel to Kopa through a dangerous path she knows she won’t be able survive alone. After trying to hide on a wagon, she is quickly discovered by the infamous mercenaries called Bloodaxe Crew and makes a deal to travel with them. Trying to win the favor of her new travelling companions and their distrustful leader, Silla will have to find a way to get to Kopa all the while being hunted by an assassin and soldiers and also trying not to lose her heart. 

I must admit it took me some time to get into this book and become fully invested in this story but when it finally happened, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the world this author created, we have Viking-like culture where people possessing magic are hunted and publicly killed and no one can be trusted. There is a lot of traveling while the main characters embark on the journey through the Road of Bones and I felt like the plot was paced perfectly, there was a lot of happening with many plot twists, but also there wasn’t any info dump and everything was explained in a natural way with some revelations I managed to predict, but also some that were truly unexpected. 

Our main character, Silla, begins like a bit naive and helpless girl and I absolutely loved her character development, she had a hidden strength to survive everything she went through and while she is still not a badass warrior at the end of the book, she is much stronger and and I can’t wait to see her character grow even more in the next book. While I’m not really a fan of love triangles and tend to avoid them in books, the one here was written perfectly and didn’t bother me at all, I had my preference and have to say the love triangle was worked out in a really great way and I can’t wait for more romance in the next book. 

The Road of Bones is a really great fantasy romance book with many of my favorite tropes that I really loved! While there is not a big cliffhanger, the ending has me excited to know what happens next and I can’t wait for the next book, really recommend this book to all fantasy romance lovers.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - These Hearts We Shatter by Shannon R. Lir

 Thank you so much Shannon R. Lir for sending me this ARC!

Title: These Hearts We Shatter 

Author: Shannon R. Lir

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Reign of Soulless (book #2)

Pages: 803

Synopsis:

Take the throne.
Ensnare the enemy.
Guard your heart.

After the Daemon King’s betrayal, Sersa Scáth never wants to see Sin Drumghoul again, let alone hear his sullied name. At least, that’s the lie she clings to in hopes it will become true—all while drowning in memories of him that feel like a lifetime ago.

But even after three moons apart, Sersa is blinded by anger and sees no way to defuse the emotion that’s altered her magic indefinitely. To make matters worse, Jestin Drumghoul is out for blood and vengeance for the Old King’s murder, and his main target isn’t Sin. It’s her. 

In the Soullanders’ eyes, murdering the king is Sersa’s claim to the throne—a claim Sin would kill for her to accept. He wants nothing more than for her to rule beside him, even if it means baring the ugly secrets he’s concealed to win her back. But Jestin isn’t the only one who has other plans for her…

Giving Sin a second chance to not only prove his love but also repair Sersa’s trust in him isn’t easy, and her ice-cold heart is in danger of shattering before it ever truly thaws. But secrecy isn’t just for kings, and Sersa finds herself questioning illusion versus reality once again. Failing to decipher between the two might just tear she and Sin apart once and for all—if their enemies don’t do it first.

Review & thoughts:

These Hearts We Shatter is the second book in an adult fantasy romance series Reign of Soulless and if you enjoy books with enemies to lovers romance, stabby FMC, morally grey characters and haven’t read book 1 yet, you definitely need to start this series ASAP, it’s so good!

I finished this book a few days ago and I’m still speechless as I’m trying to write this review. I loved the first book, This Deceit of Ours, when I read it as soon as it was published last October and I’ve been impatiently waiting to read this sequel. I had huge expectations for the second part of Sersa and Sin’s story and wow, this book exceeded all of them, it’s even better than the first book and I absolutely loved it. After what happened at the end of book 1, I had a few predictions as to what could happen next and while I was right in some cases, there are so many plot twists, betrayals and secrets here I was constantly on the edge of my seat and had no idea what to expect to happen next. This book was perfectly paced with a lot of action happening and some mind-blowing revelations, but also so many amazing moments with our main characters. I was expecting a lot of groveling from Sin and am really satisfied with how it turned out, despite everything that happened he and Sersa are incredible together and I just loved reading about their relationship, there were some knife to throat scenes, but also many vulnerable moments and of course spicy ones, there is much more spice in this book compared to the first and I was all for it. Sersa and Sin are quickly becoming one of my favorite bookish couples, they are perfect for each other and I’m already missing them and waiting for the next part of their story.

These Hearts We Shatter is an amazing sequel to This Deceit of Ours, I love this series and already can’t wait for the next book! While this cliffhanger is not as bad as the last one, with everything that happened in the last few chapters book 3 can’t come soon enough!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5